Mother bears no hatred towards prostitute's killer

The mother of the Christchurch prostitute whose semi-naked body was pulled from the Avon River on Thursday night says she bears no hatred towards the family of the accused.

The family of the victim have also spoken of the deceased's long battle with drug addiction and appealed for privacy while they grieve.

A man appeared in Christchurch District Court yesterday charged with the kidnapping, rape and murder of the 24-year-old sex worker.

The man's arrest followed an horrendous attack on the woman in the central city carpark of Christchurch Squash Club about 12.30am on Thursday.

Witnesses described hearing the woman plead for her life as she was run over repeatedly by a car, then dragged into the vehicle anddriven away.

The accused, a 28-year-old unemployed man of no fixed abode, was remanded without plea until December 29 and ordered to undergo a psychiatric assessment.

Both he and the victim were granted name suppression.

In a statement released through a family spokesman, the victim's mother said there was no point directing ill will at people associated with the accused, because that would not bring her daughter back.

She thanked police for their hard work and the public for support.

The family spokesman said the victim's parents and grandparents had provided her with all possible support during her lengthy battle with drugs.

"It's been a few years since she'd been like this, she's been through rehab and everything," he said. "There's nothing else we could have done."

The accused - a stocky man with close-cropped hair, wearing a red rugby jersey - stood quietly in the dock during his brief court appearance, his eyes to the floor.

Duty solicitor Bridget Ayrey sought name suppression and a remand for a psychiatricassessment.

Police prosecutor Vanessa Sugrue supported the suppression because publication of the man's name could hinder police inquiries.

She also requested name suppression for the victim, saying her family was still coming to terms with her death.

As the accused was led from the dock, a small group of women in the public gallery - including some sex workers - yelled abuse at him, shouting: "We'll wait for ya!".

The accused then made an obscene gesture at the group, prompting an impassioned outburst by another man. He challenged the accused's name suppression, before apologising to the police and sitting down.

Detective Senior Sergeant Tom Fitzgerald said the investigation was continuing and appealed for anyone who had seen a white Honda Integra in the area on the night of the murder to come forward.

The woman's murder was the second killing of a prostitute in Christchurch in eight months.

Anna Reed, Prostitutes' Collective regional coordinator, said she could not tell whether she knew the victim without seeing a photo, as many street workers did not use their real name.

The police had said they would be providing the collective with a photo of the victim to show to other sex workers in the hope it would encourage further witnesses to come forward, she said.

- Additional reporting by NZPA